GAME INFORMATION
Saturday, Sept. 23 • 12 pm CT
Turner Stadium
Upland, Ind.

Series History
Overall: St. Francis leads 4-3
First: at St. Francis 21, Taylor 14 (11/1/86)
Last: at Taylor 20, St. Francis 14 (11/15/14)
Streak: Taylor has won each of the last three meetings.
 
The Two Coaches
USF: Joe Curry
Alma Mater: USF 2001
Career: 60-57 (12th year)
at USF: 60-57 (12th year)

TU: Aaron Mingo
Alma Mater: Greenville 2008
Career: 8-16 (3rd year)
At TU: 8-16 (3rd year)
 
 
TOP STORYLINES
• USF's three-game winning streak to open the season is its longest since 2014.  The program record is four games in a row set back in 2008.

• The St. Francis defense is the stingiest in the nation, having allowed just 6.3 points per game.  It has also allowed just six points over the first three quarters of its first three contests.

• In his collegiate debut as a true freshman last week, Carl Bew both rushed (115 yards) and threw (102 yards) for better than 100 yards.

• One of the Tumilty brothers – Sam, Scott or Joey – has scored a touchdown in 22 straight St. Francis football games dating back to 2021.
 
• Taylor ranks in the top ten in the NAIA in rushing yards (5th/814), attempts (3^rd/205) and first downs (3rd/49).


GAME NOTES
THE HEAD COACH: Joe Curry is in his 12th season as the Saints' head coach, which makes him the longest serving coach in school history.  He has surpassed program founder Gordie Gillespie, who served as the head coach for eight seasons, and his own coach, Mike Slovick.  Slovick served the program from 1994 through 2004.  Curry is also the winningest coach in the program with 60 victories and second in winning percentage (.513).  Gillespie maintains the top spot in winning percentage at .593.

ABOUT TAYLOR: To stop the Trojans, you have to stop the run, specifically the triple option attack that they present.  Taylor ranks third in the NAIA in rushing attempts (205) and rushing first downs (49), while producing the fifth-most rushing yards (814).  No fewer than six different players have carried the ball at least 14 times and netted 100 or more yards.  Dylan Scally boasts the most rushing attempts (49) and yards (153).  Quarterback Damon Hockett has totaled 34 attempts for 120 yards.  Also keep an eye on wide receivers Ja Thomas and Stephen Ellis, who average 5.8 and 7.5 yards per rush.  Hockett will also throw an average of 18 times per contest having completed 53 percent of his attempts (37-of-70) for 421 yards with four interceptions opposite two touchdowns.  Four different receivers have caught at least six passes with Dakohta Sonnichsen averaging nearly 25 yards per catch with his eight receptions for 199 yards and two touchdowns.  Thomas is a second threat with his six catches for 133 yards.  Sonnichsen is also the main kickoff (23.6 ypr) and punt return (6.7) man.  Isaiah Grybauskas has averaged nearly 40 yards per attempt as the Trojans' punter with Lucas Shilts handling PATs (6-for-6) and field goals (3-for-6).  Middle linebacker Aven Jones runs the TU defense, where he has averaged 11-plus tackles per game to rank fifth nationally in that category.  Dawson Scally, younger brother of Dylan, has two of Taylor's four interceptions.  Head coach Aaron Mingo likes to go for it on fourth down, averaging better than four attempts per game and converting nearly half the time (8-of-17).  The Trojans don't hurt themselves with penalties, averaging just over three per contest.                 

MOVING ON UP AGAIN: For the second week in a row, USF boasts one of the highest jumps in the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll, moving up from No. 17 to No. 14.  University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) had the highest rise, going from being unranked to No. 19.  Dordt College (Iowa), like St. Francis, moved up three spots from No. 19 to No. 16.  Concordia University (Mich.) went from No. 21 to No. 17 and Evangel University (Mo.) went from No. 25 to No. 20.

FOUR SCORE: The Saints have opened the season with four straight wins just once, back in 2008, a year they finished 7-4.  The current three-game winning streak to start a season is the longest since 2014.

A BEW(T) OF A DEBUT: Playing in his first collegiate game as a true freshman, Saints quarterback Carl Bew had a day to remember starting with his second collegiate run, which went for 65 yards and a go-ahead touchdown.  Bew finished the day rushing for 115 yards on just 14 carries (8.2 avg.).  He also completed four of his 11 pass attempts for 102 yards with one interception.  Bew averaged 25.5 yards per completion.

TUMILTY MISSES FIRST START: Sam Tumilty's string of starts at quarterback came to an end at 21 games last Saturday when he missed the contest with a lower body injury.  The two-time Mid-States Football Association Midwest League Offensive Player of the Year in both 2021 and 2022, Tumilty was off to another strong start in 2023, especially in the air.  The junior quarterback completed 71.4 percent of his passes (30-of-42) for 351 yards with four touchdowns over his first two games.  The completion rate is fifth-best in the NAIA, while his efficiency rating of 168.3 is 11th in the nation.  He also has six rushing touchdowns (6th in the NAIA) and is averaging 111.5 yards per game rushing (15th).

WHERE THERE'S A GAME, THERE'S A TUMILTY TOUCHDOWN: Scott Tumilty's one-yard touchdown run late in the first half not only proved to be the eventual game-winner, but it also extended the streak of a Tumilty family member scoring a touchdown in a St. Francis game to 22 contests.

TOP TEN PERFORMER: Scott Tumilty's name can be found among the Top 10 on both punt and kick returns.  He is averaging 16.1 yards per return in the former category for the seventh-best rating in the NAIA, while his 30.0 kick return average is ninth-best.  Tumilty is the lone Saint to have returned either a punt or a kick this season with those same averages ranking 15th- and fourth-best in the NAIA from a team perspective.

DEFENSE, DEFENSE: USF boasts the nation's No. 1 defense from a scoring standpoint.  The Saints have allowed just two touchdowns in three games and only 19 total points, or an average of 6.3 points per game.  Defensive Coordinator Thomas Miller's club is also eighth in total yards allowed per game (238.3), 13th in passing yards allowed per contest (137.7) and 14th in sacks with nine.

SACK ATTACK: Although he was officially credited with just one sack, Kemon Reese saved the day for the Saints last Saturday by denying Lawrence Tech its two-point conversion midway through the fourth quarter when he sacked the Blue Devils' quarterback on the play.  Tackles are not officially credited on PAT attempts.  Nonetheless, Reese did have another big sack in the second quarter when he produced a 10-yard loss back to the USF 12-yard line on the second-to-last play of the half.  That forced LTU to rush its final attempt, which then left no time on the clock, squandering a host scoring opportunity.

SHOOTING BLANKS: For the first time this season, the Saints offense did not score in the second half on Saturday.  USF's defense has been stingy itself, allowing just last week's two field goals in the first half as the only points for the opposition through three quarters on the season.  The other 13 points have all come in the fourth quarter.  USF has outscored its opponents 73-6 over the first three quarters and 94-19 overall.

POINTS IN FIVE PLAYS OR LESS PLEASE: Of the 13 times that the Saints have scored (12 TDs, 1 FG) this season, ten times have come on scoring drives of five plays or less, including Saturday's two series of three and five plays.  The breakdown Is as follows:

One Play: 1
Two Plays: 3
Three Plays: 1
Four Plays: 1
Five Plays:4
Seven Plays: 2
Ten Plays: 1

SAVING THEIR BEST FOR LAST: On the verge of having its 11-game interception streak snapped last week, USF's Jalen Cooper preserved the defensive mark with his pick on Lawrence Tech's final offensive series of the game.      

DRIVE KILLERS: Lawrence Tech and USF combined to go just 6-for-29 on third downs last week with both teams converting three times each.

A PERFECT (MA)DAY: Brian Maday is a perfect 13-for-13 on PAT kicks this fall and has also recorded one field goal of 30 yards.  Maday handles punting responsibilities, as well, where four of his ten attempts this season have landed inside the 20-yard line.

HOT IN THE RED ZONE: For the first time this season, the Saints missed out on a red-zone opportunity when they turned the ball over on downs on the Lawrence Tech 10-yard line late in the game last week.  Up until that point, USF was a perfect 12-for-12 in the red zone with 11 touchdowns.      

OTHER NUMBERS: The Saints rank tenth in the nation in both rushing touchdowns (nine) and rushing yards per game (210.0), while ranking 12th in total rushing yards (630).

TUMILTY CAREER CHART TOPPERS: With his first kickoff return on Saturday, Scott Tumilty should move into the No. 2 spot on the career list for kick return yards.  He needs just 15 yards in the matchup with Taylor.  Other numbers to follow include:

Total Touchdowns – Career
1. 38 – Brandon Ruffin (2016-19)
2. 37 – John Larsen (1987-89)
3. 36 – Sam Tumilty (2021-23)

Total Points – Career
1. 234 – John Larsen (1987-89)
2. 229 – Brandon Ruffin (2016-19)
3. 216 – Sam Tumilty (2021-23)

Kick Return Yards – Career
1. 1,754 – Elliot Allen (2010-13)
2. 1,544 – Gannon Novak (2005-08)
3. 1,530 – Scott Tumilty (2020-23)

FOR THE RECORD: The Saints are 168-225 all time, 139-167 in day games and 81-125 on the road.